Were there any CAPCOMs who were not astronauts?
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The capsule communicator (CAPCOM) is the person in mission control who speaks to the astronauts. The position was invented by NASA's first flight director, Chris Kraft, who believed it would be best filled by another astronaut, as they would have the same training as those on the mission and would best understand how an astronaut thinks. Was there ever a time when the CAPCOM position was filled by a non-astronaut? Per NASA, an astronaut is someone who has completed astronaut training. It does not matter whether they have already been to space. The question is about being the CAPCOM. It does not pertain to other persons who have spoken to astronauts (e.g. their families, the flight director, politicians, etc.). "How many earth stations had astronauts on-site during John Glenn's orb